KARACHI, JAN 31, (DNA) – Well known for his fabulist style, Karachi-based artist Unver Shafi Khan is in the limelight for his first solo show in over a decade.The shape shifting quality found in fables and myths remains a lasting inspiration for his painterly works and is, thus, largely evident in the collection of acrylic miniature currently on display at Koel gallery.Perhaps rooted in his passion for poetry and literature, Shafi continues to narrate his tales intentionally inflating fantastical elements. With incredibly surreal and dream like compositions characterized by blobs of colors varying from monochromes to vibrantly intense, this fabulist series on display is far from ordinary and unlike any seen around.

JAN 29, (DNA) – With Raees grabbing more than INR 1.55 billion in local and international markets combined since it hit cinemas, the team has a very special party in the wraps. At the Indian box office, the film has secured over INR 750 million already.In accordance with the movie’s storyline that focuses on how the Gujarat wine ban negatively impacted the state’s industry, leading to higher crime rates, the success celebration will notably exclude alcohol.The festivity is set to be held in Mumbai on Monday, and has already got many fans hooked on to the edge of their seats to witness the stars’ merrymaking.

JAN 29, (DNA) -Legendary actor John Hurt passed away on Saturday after battling with pancreatic cancer. He was 77.The British actor appeared in numerous movies, such as Harry Potter series, Alien, and Nineteen Eighty-Four, during a career that spanned six decades. He also worked in Midnight Express, which netted him his first Golden Globe and BAFTA win, as well as an Oscar nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category.Hurt was also nominated for an Academy Award (Best Actor category) for his role as the anguished John Merrick in David Lynch’s The Elephant Man.The star was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in June 2015, but continued to work, appearing recently in the Oscar-nominated biopic of President John F. Kennedy’s widow Jackie. He is succeeded by his wife, Anwen Rees-Myers, and two sons with Joan Dalton, his third wife.

TEHRAN, JAN 26 – The Iranian star of Oscar-nominated film “The Salesman” said Thursday she would boycott the awards in protest at President Donald Trump’s “racist” ban on Muslim immigrants.“Trump’s visa ban for Iranians is racist. Whether this will include a cultural event or not, I won’t attend the #AcademyAwards 2017 in protest,” tweeted Taraneh Alidoosti, the film’s 33-year-old lead actress.Trump is reportedly poised to stop visas for travellers from seven Muslim countries, including Iran, for 30 days.He told on Wednesday that his plan was not a “Muslim ban”, but targeted countries that “have tremendous terror.”“The Salesman”, directed by acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi is nominated for best foreign language film at the Academy Awards, which take place next month.